Although not as flashy as some junior colleges (JCs) in Singapore, Nanyang Junior College (NYJC) provides good pre-university education for the students who attend it. Located in Serangoon, near Ang Mo Kio and Toa Payoh, it is easily accessible to students from all over Singapore.
Established in 1978, NYJC was one of the first JCs in Singapore. Nanyang is the hanyu pinyin for the Chinese characters "South Sea", which was what the Chinese in China called Singapore, Malaysia and the South-east Asian region in the past. The name reflects the origins of Singapore having been built by immigrants not only from China, but also from India, Malaysia and all the various parts of the world. The badge of Nanyang JC has a picture of a Merlion (symbolising Singapore) on a red background above a sea, and its motto is "Together We Build".
One traditional strength of the JC is its canoeing and dragon boat racing teams. The dragon boats are raced at a Chinese festival known as "Duan Wu Jie" (i.e. Duan Wu Festival) or simply the Dragon Boat Festival. Other student groups that have won awards recently are the volleyball teams.
Anoher point of interest is the dogs that are attached to Nanyang. It was common (in the past) to see the principal walking around the school compound accompanied by two dogs (aptly named Perpetually Lost and Just Lost). Cats have also been seen around the school grounds.